Eaves-tube-strainer fastener



March l0, 1925.

V. J. NIELE EAVES TUBE STRAINER FASTENER :NVENroR ff/Vz'e/e,

/ ATTORNEYS Fi1ed May 22 1924 Patented Mar. 10, 1925.

UNITED STATES VALENTINE JOHN NIELE, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

EAVES-TUBE-STRAINER FASTENER.

Application filed May 22,

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, VALENTINE JOHN NIELE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Eaveslube-Strainer Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in devices for holding a strainer against displacement from position at the upper end of a roof leader or like drain tube, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple and reliable device for holding the strainer against displacement from a desirable position at the upper end of a roof leader or like drain tube without interfering with the flow of water into and down the drain tube.

A further object is to provide -a astener of the characterdescribed which comprises but relatively few parts, can be manufactured at a relatively low cost and is thoroughly practical commercially.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view showing a fastener embodying the invention in position to hold a strainer in place at the upper end of a roof leader, only fragmentary portions of the gutter and drain tube being shown,

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the upper end portion of the drain tube and adjacent portion of the gutter, the strainer and fastener being shown in side elevation, and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a securing clip which is comprised in the fastener.

Strainers for roof leaders and other like vertically disposed drain tubes ordinarily are held in place by depending tangs or spring ingers which depend in the drain tube below the level of the upper end of the latter. When strainers are held in a desirable position at the upper end of roof leaders and like drain tubes by means of such de pending fingers or tangs, the impact of a mass of leaves or like foreign matter against the sides of the strainers is likely to dislodge the strainers from the desirable posi- 5 tion and moreover the dependingfingers or 1924. Serial No. 715,163.

tangs tend to interfere with the passage of Water into the upper end of the drain tube.

The objectionable features of means for holding strainers in place at the upper ends of root' leaders prior to my invention, ot' which I am aware, are obviated when a strainer for a roof leader or like drain tube is held in place at the upper end of the drain tube by a fastener formed in accordance with the present invention, as will presently ap pear.

In Figures l and 2, the numeral' l designates a portion of the bottom of a gutter for a roof. A vertically disposed drain pipe or leader 2 is provided and overlaps a short tubular boss or depending extension 3 which depends from an opening 4 in the bottom of the gutter and may be. integral with the latter. A downwardly facing shoulder 5 thus is' provided within the drain tube at a slight distance below the level of the bottom of the gutter.

The construction described so far is ordinary* and forms no part of the present invention, except in so far as it cooperates with the .parts which will now be described.

A strainer 6 having a central opening 7 and made of a network of wires or other foraminous material rests upon the bottom of the gutter in overlyin relation to the open upper end of the drain pipe. strainer 6 is shown as being convexe-concave and as being circular in horizontal sectional contour but obviously may be of any other desirable and suitable shape and configuration. In carrying out the invention, I make use of a length of wire made of material possessing considerable inherent resiliency. The length of wire is bent intermediate its length until doubled and the two members thus produced are twisted together from their juncture for the greater part of their length to provide a substantially straight stem 8. The remaining portions of the two members are bent to provide spring loops at one end of the stem, such as that indicated at 9 and the extreme end portions of the two members are bent to extend oppositely in a general outward and rearward direction, thus providing substantially straightl spring engaging fingers as indicated at 10 and 11 respectively.

The length of the spring fingers 10 vand 11 is such that the normal straight line distance between the ends of the spring fingers The is greater thun the inner diameter o1 the drainltulief. It @lso is to be observed that :l straight line extending troni the enil oi' one ot' the spring lingers to the enfl ot' the other spi-ing finger lies iii o plone. intersectingr the stein t5 :it right :ingles und :it :i point inirotrdl)y troni the junetures of the spi-ingv lingers with the stein.

rTherefore. the end oi the .-:ein 9, which is provided with the spring lingers nniy lie inserted in the drnin tube :it Athe open ripper end thereof. the ends of the spring tiiigors being `forced tonni-d ezieh other to permit inorenient ot' the inserted end poi-tion oi' the `teni y:ilongthe drain tube The ends oi the spring fingers of Course will slide in conm-t with the inner will ot' the depending tulvulii r extension 3 und :is soonwiii-z these ends hnve ti'zii'ersed the. depending tubulaireritension $5, the inherent resiliencyi of the spring loups which-connect the `spring lingers to the Steins `will Qfunetion to force the ends ol' the spring tingeisrm'f'uy froiii erich other into ei ntrn-t with the inner well of the di'nin tube below the lower end ofthe tubular ineinber il. Retrograde movement ot' the stein S in the draintube then will be prevented because of 'the positive engagement withtlie ends of the spring tinge s with the shonlder Si the lutter of course being the lower end wall l The strainer l of the tubular nieniber I. now is slipped over the upper end of the stein t3 and rests upon the' bottoni oi' the gutter in'position to Cover the open upper end of the tliwintubtxv :is illustrated in Figures 1 find Q. A springr looking clip 11i `which is liestseen in Figure Fi now is phieed in engtigeinent with the stein in position to engage with theupper side of the str-liner v 5. The' latter thus is elsiinped down on the bottoni of the gutter :ind is held againstr tiny appreciable if'ertietil or lnteral inoveinent in respect to the bottoni of the `gutter and nt, tie saine tinie the stem 1% is held against further airinl movement downward in the drain tube. The looking Clip 1%) is formed ot n length of spring wire bent interinedirite its ends to provide :i spring loop 1?` the ends of thi` spring .rire being lient to diverge gipzirt for pzirt of their length :is indiiited :it 14 :ind 15 respect irely and to extend in ft plaine whieh interseets the plane or" the spring loop 1? substzintinlli :it yright angles` the ends of the spring wire then being inclined toward each other :ind ef-eh being provided :it its ettreinity with :i coil fis indicated at' 1li for one ot the ends ot the spring `Wire and fit 17 tor the other end ot' the springT wire. The coils 1li and 17 :ire positioned close to ezioh other but out ot' aligninent. The spring connecting loop 1? is slipped over the upper end ot the stein 8 against the strainer l5. @ne ot' the springr arms of the looking` elip then is swung oginst the action of the spring connecting loop 13 toward the stein S und the seeming Coil at the inner end ,of lthat spring :irni is engaged with the stein. The other spring :iini of the liii'lring clip then is swiing iiiwurdly town-ril the Astein und the engaging coil it its free end also is engaged with the stein. The spi-ing urine o't' the, locking :flip thus will be pliied under tension which prevents the Coils 1l; :ind 1T :it the ii=treiiiitien oi the spring :ii-nis troni disengnging thi^ stein tl these (foils being iii engzigenient with the, eorrugations whieh iriproif'ided by twisting the inenibers ot' which the stein is composed together. The looking clip will litheld :ig4 instr inoreinent :along the stein und in engagement with the strainer L Freni the foregoing description of thi` furious parts of the deviee. the operation thereof inni' lie readily uiiiilerstood. The

,stem S will be positively held against retrograde,inoveinent froin the position in respect to the drain tube illustrated in Figures1 1 :ind '24 The strainer Will also be held against displacement troni the position il- Instr-ated in Figs. 1 and 2 because of the pressure :ipplied theresgninst when leaves or oflwidbris lodge against the strainer and the water from the roof then rushes quickly against the matter which liasflodged on or :ig-einst the strainer. It also isito be observed that the use ot' iny improved tostener for kholding the strainer in position does not in any Way interfere with the flow ot' water from the gutter into and through the drnin tube.

(lhriously, in)v invention is susceptible of enibodiinent in forms other than that illustrated in the accompanying drawing and l therefore consider os my own all such modiezitions :ind 4iduptations of the tor-in ot' the derice herein described :is fairly fall within the scopo ot the appended elaiins.

1. A fastener of the chnrficter described ooinprising :i stein. :i` pair of spring fingers, spring ineuiis connecting said spring lingers to one end of the stern so that the spring iingers extend outwardly find rearwardly in respect to the adjacent end of the steni, said stein being adapted to be inserted in fr drain tube to yposition the spring lingers in triotionfil eiigugeinent :it their ends with the inner wall of the drain tube, and means engagealile with said stein for holding :i strainer on said stein againsty the adjacent end of the drfiintube.

Q. In Combination with u drain tube having in inwardly facing shoulder adjacent tothe open end thereof and :i strainer adapted to coverthe open end of the drain tube, said strainer having :i central opening, a 1fastenei comprising u stein adapted rto extend through the central openingof the strainer into the drain tube :incl hnvingn .pair of OPPOSQIY andirearwandlyextending springpressed fingers in contact with the inner a stem formed of a length of wire bent in- 20 wall of the drain tube for engaging with said shoulder to hold the stem against retrograde movement, and means engageable with the outer end portion of said stem for holding said spring tingers in engagement with said shoulder and for holding said strainer against displacement from position to cover the open end of the drain tube.

3. In a fastener of the character described, a stem formed of a length of wire bent intermediate its ends, the end portions thus provided being twisted together for the greater part of their length, said end p0rtions then being bent to provide spring loops at one end of the stem and to provide outwardly and rearwardly extending retaining fingers.

4. In a fastener of the character described,

terme-diate its ends, the end portions thus provided being twisted together for the greater part of their length, said end portions then being bent to provide spring loops at one end of the stem and to provide outwardly and rearwardly extending lingers, and a spring locking clip made of a length of wire bent intermediate its ends to provide a spring loop and a pair of spring arms,

said spring arms diverging for the greater part of their length and then being bent toward each other and provided with securing coils at their extremities, said spring loop being adapted to be slipped over an end of said stem and said securing coils being adapted to be engaged with said stem, as and for the purpose described.

VALENTINE JOHN NIELE. 

